Liquefier for solidified gas



Filed D80. 15, 1932 T F LUNDY LIQUEFIER FOR SOLIDIFIED. GAS

Dec. 5, 1933.

Patented Dec. 5, 1933 PATENT OFFICE 1,938,034 LIQUEFIER FOR sounmmn GASThomas F. Lundy, Tulsa, Okla., assignor to C02 Appliance ,Company,Tulsa, Okla.

Application December 15, 1932 7 Serial No. 647,468

3 Claims.

The invention relates to liquefiers for solidified gas, for instancesolid carbon dioxide, and has for its object to provide a device of thischaracter,

in which solid carbon dioxide may be placed from time to time, liquefiedor gasified in one container and discharged from said container into oneor more storage containers or to a common discharge pipe from any of thecontainers or the liquefier.

A further object is to provide means, for instance heat means inconnection with the liquefier for accelerating the natural conversion ofthe solidified gas, for instance solid carbon dioxide to a gas orliquid.

A further object is to provide the liquefier container with a pipeconnection forming a main discharge pipe, a branch connection betweenthe main discharge pipe and the storage tanks and valve means wherebygas may be discharged through the discharge pipe directly from theliquefier or from either or both of the storage tanks, as desired,thereby allowing the full utilization of the plant, for instance duringthe generation of gas or the use of either unit thereof singly.

A further object is to provide safety devices in connection with thevarious containers for relieving excess pressures therein. Also toprovide pressure indicating gauges for indicating pressures within thecontainers.

A further object is to provide means whereby solid carbon dioxideor'other solidified gas may be converted to a fluid form withoutinterruption of continuous operation of the plant or other apparatusdepending thereon, for instance where the plant is used in connectionwith a soda fountain, or bottling works.

A'further object is to provide means whereby the number of storagecontainers may be increased without shutting down the plant andexhausting gas therefrom.

A further object is to provide the liquefier tank with two chambers, inone of which carbon dioxide is placed and liquefied and then transferredto the other chamber and to storage containers through a piping system;a cover for the first chamber and means whereby the chambers may be cutoff from each other, thereby allowing opening of the cover for placingsolid carbon dioxide in the first chamber without loss of pressure, andwithout danger to the operator incident to the high pressures.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in thecombination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth,

shown in the drawing, described and claimed, it being understood thatchanges in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made withinthe scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the plant.

Figure 2 is a view in elevation of a modified form of plant, partly insection to better show the two chamber liquefier.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the liquefiercontainer which is provided with a removable cover 2 held in place bythe separable channel cover member 3 for holding the cover against thepressure of gasifying solid carbon dioxide within the chamber 4 of theliquefier container. Single container liquefiers are old in the art,however it has been found that in their use constant pressure can not bemaintained nor a suflicient volume of gas generated, particularly wherethe liquefier is small. To obviate this difiiculty storage containers 5and 6 are provided, however it is to be understood that any number ofstorage containers may be used in connection with the liquefier andapplicant does not limit himself as to how the various containers are tobe supported. Any kind of bases may be used, and if desired the variouscontainers may be disposed in a horizontal position in a rack. Solidcarbon dioxide or other solidified gas to be liquefied is placed in thechamber 4 of the liquefier 1, and during this operation the drain valve7 is preferably open so that any gas generated in the device during afilling operation will not prevent or render diflicult the replacementof the cover 2. After the cover is placed in position, as clearly shownin Figures 1 and 2, drain valve '7 is closed and the pressure within theliquefier 1 will be indicated on the pressure gauge 8 carried by thepipe 9. Pipe 9 is provided with a branch pipe 10 having fracture valvefor preventing danger from excess pressure.

Connected to the liquefier 1 is a main discharge pipe 12 which may leadto branch pipe 13', which 100 in turn may lead to bottling machinery orto a soda fountain for conveying the generated gas to these items ofmachinery for use. Connected to the main discharge pipe 12 is a branchpipe 14 having a control valve 15 therein, and through 105 which pipe,when the valve 15 is open gas generated in the liquefier passes to thebranch pipes 16 through control valves 17, when open, to the storagecontainers 5 and 6, in which the gas is stored for use, for instancewhen the liquefier a pressure is built' upin the liquefier 1,

1 is being refilled, and at which time the valve 18 adjacent theliquefier is closed, thereby allowing, through the manipulation of thevarious valves when the valve 19 is open, the discharge of stored gasfrom either of the storage containers 5 or 6 or both through thedischarge pipe 12 to the branch pipes 13. It will be seen that gas maybe used through the manipulation of the various valves from any of thecontainers, storage or liquefier as desired, and it will also bepossible to build up pressure in either storage container from theliquefier when desired by the manipulation of the various valves. Branchpipes 16 are preferably provided with pressure gauges 20 for indicatingthe pressure when desired. The transfer of gas generated in theliquefier 1 preferably takes plaoeafter the and'a't which time the valve18' is closed. Whenit' is desired to use the gas direct fromtheliquefier,

it will only be necessaryfto' closeva1ve-l5 and open valves 18 and 19. v"Additional-storage tanks may be attached to thedischargepipelZL'Without closing down the plant by an exhaustion ofpressure therefrom. It will only be necessary to close valve 19 and makeadditional connection to the discharge pipe'12 to the discharge side ofthe valve. Storage containers 5 and 6 are provided with drain valves 21,through which pressure may be exhausted if desired, however drain valves7 and 21 also form means whereby water or liquid formed by. condensationmay be drained from the various containers.

For accelerating the rate of sublimation within the liquefier 1, atransverse tube 22 is provided across the liquefier and chamber 4there-' in and in which is disposed a heating element 23, which may bein the form of an electric resistance if desired. Applicant does notlimit himself to the particular type of heating element.

Referring to the form shown in Figure 2, the structure and operation issubstantially the same as shown in Figure 1, with the exception thesingle liquefying casing 1 is provided with an upper chamber 4a in whichthe solid carbon dioxide is placed, and which chamber is relativelysmall in relation to the lower chamber 41). In this form a by-passconnection 24 is provided between the chambers controlled by a valve 25,so that the upper chamber can be cut off from the lower chamber duringthe refilling operation, thereby preventing loss of pressure, the easyreplacement of the cover after the filling operation and facilitatingthe refilling operation from time to time. In this particular form,chamber 4a may be made relatively small if desired as the gas generatedtherein is bypassed to the chamber 4b and to the storage containers 5and 6.

From the above it will be seen that a liquefying plant is provided forsolid carbon dioxide or other solidified gases, which is simple inconstruction, provided with storage means whereby high pressures can bemaintained and built up from a liquefying container or generator andthat said liquefier can be replenished from time to time without loss ofpressure and without interfering with the continuous operation of theplant.

The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and usefulis:

1. A combined gas generating and storage plant comprising a liquefier,container in which solidified volatile gases are placed and sublimed andstorage containers in connection with the liquefier container and intowhich sublimed solidified gases are discharged and stored from thelique-' charge pipe, valve means whereby gases generated in the,liquefier tank may be by-passed into said storage tanks from thedischarge pipe and afterwards discharged from said storage. tanksthrough the discharge pipes by-passing the liquefier, said liquefiertank being divided into agas receiving chamber, a cover for saidchamber, a transfer chamber in the liquefier tank for the gas, meanswhereby gas will be transferred from one chamber to the other and meanswhereby the transfer of gas from one chamber to the other may beprevented, thereby allowing easy removal and replacement of the coverfor refilling purposes.

3. A combined gas generating and storage plant comprising a liquefiercontainer having a chamber for the reception of solidified gas and asecond chamber into which gas from the first mentioned chamber istransferred, means for controlling the flow of gas between said chambersof the liquefier container, a discharge pipe in connection with theliquefier container, a storage container in connection with thedischarge pipe, means whereby gas from the discharge pipe and liquefiercontainer may be discharged, into the storage tank and means whereby gasfrom the storage tank may be discharged through the discharge pipeby-passing the liquefier container.

THOMAS F. LUNDY.

